PeachHamBeach
This is a strange film, a combination of goofy, sad comedy and profound tragedy, but it is a very pleasant film nonetheless. FH (Billy Crudup) is a drug (mainly pills) addict who seems to have a life devoid of any direction or purpose, and yet he has odd abilities and premonitions, along with an "everything will be okay no matter what happens" attitude. He hitches a ride with a family, all the while knowing a car accident will kill most of them. He rescues the infant member of the family, and it strangely coincides with the fact that his girlfriend Michelle (Samantha Morton) had an abortion around that same time. FH lives through the horrible suicide of Michelle somehow, and begins to try to get away from drugs and have a life that makes sense. There are bizarre scenes involving baby bunnies, being able to put a hand through a glass window as if one were a ghost instead of flesh and blood, and an ensemble of characters whose lives FH touches in one way or another, played by Jack Black, Denis Leary, Holly Hunter, and Dennis Hopper. There is no solid "plot" as it were. It's just a tour through a lost, lonely soul looking for a place in the world where he belongs.A very different kind of film, with a cryptic story and main character, but it feels like a refreshment compared to many movies being made today.
moonspinner55
Billy Crudup, as an aimless young screw-up and pill-popper in 1970s Chicago, has the mannerisms of a user down right, yet he doesn't convince as an addict. While riding on the dirty subway cars in the darkened city, interacting with the street life and the strays he seems to attract, Crudup certainly has the appropriate glassy-eyed expression and sheepish grin, but he's too lean and muscular and healthy-looking to be taken for a troubled junkie. The film, an adaptation of Denis Johnson's book of short stories, has been fairly well realized by director Alison Maclean (who has a vivid eye for detail); unfortunately, the protagonist isn't really a character at all, and this isn't entirely Crudup's fault. He hasn't been conceived as anything but a walking foul up, one with fabricated answers and--in his narration--'deep thoughts' soaked in the smugness of an elevated consciousness. Many stars help out in support, yet the film is less a dramatic achievement than an arty, somewhat indifferent passel of scenes. ** from ****
E Delicious
First off, I must say that I'm a bit biased simply because I'm a fan of the book. I actually had know idea there was ever a movie made for Jesus' Son. I was describing the story "Emergency" to my girlfriend one day and she said, "That sounds a lot like this movie I saw with Jack Black and Billy Cruddup." Much to my surprise, we were talking about the same story...To me the book is about survivors. No matter how much you have destroyed things in your life, or no matter how badly things have turned out, you can still turn it all around. That was that message I used to get from the book, and I think the movie evokes this same feeling. Brilliant acting, beautiful soundtrack, and powerful stories... The scene with Samantha Morton dancing to "Sweet Pea" is one of my favorite scenes ever.If you're squeamish or turned off towards drug culture stories, Jesus' Son is definitely not for you. However, I would suggest both the book and the movie to just about anyone.
flingebunt
Normally I am not a fan of drug or alcohol related movies as they tend to be a little bit protentious such as Requim for a Dream or Leaving Las Vegas.They try and say something specifically about the drug use, instead Jesus' Son tells a story about a person who just happens to take drugs.Here, like life, reality is confused and they choices we make haunt us.The main character Fuck Head is the ultimate loser. He takes drugs, only lives because his girlfriend saves his life, yet he lets her die in the same circumstance. He sees the sacred heart of Jesus on a man who tells him to go away. But ultimately he finds his own place in the world and sees beauty where others can't.This is an art-house movie, and the reason that art house movies don't turn up in mainstream cinemas is because they have limited appeal. So maybe you will hate this movie or maybe you will recognise the loser in yourself in Fuck Head. I know I did. Sure I want to be a cross between Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt with a touch of Edward Norton, but I know I am more of a Fuck Head. If you are too, watch this movie.
AD
